Civil War: The Third Side of the Coin
by Classic Cowboy
Summary: A crossover co-written with Jarkota and Digifan316. When hero turns against hero, brother against brother, best friend against best friend, lover against lover, who will rise to do the right thing? OCs and multicross. Marvel/KP/AD:JL
1. Chapter 1

**CIVIL WAR: The Third Side of the Coin **

**By Jarkota, Digifan316, and Classic Cowboy**

**Kim Possible, Marvel "Heroes", and all other used characters are owned by their respective creators. Jason Argo of the Boomerang Blade series is the property of Digifan316, and Shadow is kind of Jarkota's creation … that statement will make sense later. Now on with the prologue. **

New York Museum of Natural History

Jason Argo, head of security, was seated at his desk. It was a quiet evening, as the museum was closed for renovations. At the sound of a door opening, Jason looked up from his copy of _Shonen Jump_ to see a man dressed entirely in black, from his wide-brimmed hat to his trench coat, boots, and gloves, stepping into the lobby. The hat was pulled down over his face, making most of his features indiscernible.

"Sorry, pal, unless you're delivering a pizza, we're closed." Jason said, taking a better look at his attire "But there's a Liam Neeson lookalike contest three block over at the bingo hall."

The man gave him a cold stare. "Give me the Skull."

Jason smirked glad to see that the day just got less boring. "Now see, dude, that's where you and I are gonna have a problem." He said, putting down his magazine. "First of all, we're a museum; we got lots of 'em. Second, this is a museum; you can't have 'em. The gift shop has skull _replicas_ on the second floor, but I've got a feeling that ain't what you're here for. Am I getting warm, Gothy?" he asked, reaching behind his back.

The man began growing impatient as he raised the brim of his hat. "I have no time for your games, _boy_. Give me the Skull."

Jason looked into the stranger's eyes, and saw something familiar yet alien at the same time. _I'd better get the Blade ready - something about this guy isn't right._ He thought as he stepped behind the desk bringing out a Arabian-style scimitar with intricate runes carved into the hilt and blade "You need to be more specific - not that you're getting it, anyway." He said, twirling his favorite weapon for emphasis. "We've got skulls from the Ming Dynasty. We've got Civil War skulls...hell, we've even got mummified skulls, but they _ain't_ yours, so leave now, and I'll forget that a bozo who got lost on his way to GothCon wandered in here."

"You just made your first mistake, _boy_. And your _last_. The dark clad man said as he raised his right hand and fired a beam of dark energy from his palm into Jason's chest, knocking the young man into the back of the lobby. He shattered a glass case of various Native American artifacts, but the strange sword stayed gripped in his hand. Despite this, he looked like he was down for the count.

The stranger began to leave through one of the side doors to the storage room when he saw his opponent stir amidst the pile of glass, wood, and stone carvings.

Jason stood with blood dripping from a cut on his forehead. "Not bad, Gothy ..." he groaned, shaking it off, "now, it's _my_ turn!" He called out as he threw the blade at the intruder.

The man sidestepped, then grabbed the hilt of the sword as it whipped by. He took a moment to look at the odd weapon, then stuck it blade-first into the floor. "I grow tired of this - give me the Skull and I may still let you live." He warned.

Jason charged the stranger, catching him off-guard with a Bruno Sammartino-style clothesline, and placing his foot on the fallen man's chest for emphasis. "Here's some free advice - I _ain't_ dependent on my weapon." He said confidently. "Now, for threatening me and wrecking one of my parents' best displays, I'm gonna have to K.O. ya and call the cops. We'll see how long you maintain that tough guy attitude when you're sharin' a cell with a guy named Bubba who likes pretty mouths."

The man angrily grabbed Jason's ankle and threw the security guard into - and through - the desk he previously sat at. "You impudent whelp!" the intruder stood tall "No one speaks in such a manner to _me_ and lives to tell about it!"

Jason staggered to get up, obviously in pain but determined not to show it "'Impudent whelp'? What is this - King Arthur's Court? Wait, let me guess - you're the big, bad, Black Knight and this 'skull' is your treasure." He said, spinning the blade about and tightening his hold on it. "Well, I ain't no Lancelot, but I ain't no pansy ether. I don't care _what_ skull you're after, Goth boy - NONE SHALL PASS! See, you ain't the only one that can sound like he's from a bad fantasy novel."

"You are trying my patience, you pathetic cur." The man growled, "I offer you one last chance to give me the Aztec Skull and escape here with your life - not that it seems to amount to much."

Jason put the sword back into its sheath; he then inexplicably walked towards the stranger, smiling as though they were old friends. "Oh; _that _skull. Why didn't you just say so? By the way, my name is Jason Argo and…" he suddenly leapt and roundhouse kicked the man in the head. "You are sure as Hell _not_ getting _that_!"

The man straightened his head, which was jarred only slightly by the kick. "A predictable attack. And one that will cost you."

" What are you, a thief or a _Kingdom Hearts_ villain?" Jason asked unimpressed

"I grow tired of this. _Uthe Cestos_!" the man said causing an portal to appear at his feet before he vanished into it.

Jason kneeled to look for any sign of the man. "Okay, Gothy, where are you!?"

"Right here." The man growled directly behind him.

"Nice parlor trick, Goth boy. Mind if I have the name of the guy that got the drop on me?"

"You may call me Shadow. Learn it well, for it is the _last_ name you shall _ever_ know."

"Cute... that Goth thing wasn't that far off." Jason mused, "B.T.W. That bit about getting the drop on me? Well..." He brought his hands down on Shadow's forearms in knife-edged chops, causing the man to release Jason. He then tossed the blade upwards, causing a display of T-Rex ribs to fall on top of Shadow, making a make swift prison. He finished by catching the blade with no effort, then pointed it to Shadow. "I lied. Now, talk, why do you want... the... No way! It _can't_ be you! It just _can't_ be!"

"I cease to be amused by this." Shadow disappeared through another portal, then reappeared on top of the fallen ribcage. "Are you going to give me the Skull, or do I have to take it from you?"

Jason gawked at him. "But...you've _already_ got it, man!"

"If I had it, do you think I would be here, engaged in a pathetic sparring match with a rank amateur like _you_ in order to acquire it???? The only reason you're alive right now is because I can get to the Skull easier if I know where it is. If I kill you, that means I'll have to find it myself, and that could take hours I do _not_ have! Tell me where it is _NOW!!!!" _Shadow bellowed.

Jason was about ready to attack again. "Look, pally-boy, I have no idea why you look so much older, or why you don't have that ugly dyed-green hair, but I gave you the Skull the night we fought the Huntsclan and the Dark Dragon! That was the same night I got the Boomerang Blade!" He said, holding up his blade. "Don't you remember???"

Shadow's eyes widened. "Impossible...Can it be that you've seen through my disguise? You know who I am… Or, rather, who I _used to be_?"

Jason lowered his blade and narrowed his eyes. "'Used to be'? Why do I get the feeling you're no longer the guy I know?"

"My past is in the past," Shadow said coldly, "There is no going back."

"We'll talk more about _that_ later." He said as he looked Shadow directly in the eyes. _What could have happened to you to make you lose part of yourself? And there's something else... but what?_ He thought before speaking up again. "You want the Skull; that much I know. But _why_?"

"I aim to destroy it, so that the power held inside it cannot be used against me." He sighed, "Why I am indulging you? This is beyond me - perhaps I should just kill you now and find it myself."

Jason was quickly becoming frustrated. "Used against you _how_? Everyone knows you as the green-haired kid constantly getting in trouble with his parents, Let's not get into your alter-ego!"

"You know much," Shadow narrowed his eyes. "How do you know of these things?"

"I know because I fought with him," Jason explained, "I even became quite close. I even let him and his friend grind on the rail of the steps while the museum's closed. He was with me when I got this." He motioned to his blade.

"Probably wouldn't do me any good to kill you," Shadow mused, "then - he would just come after me, and I can't afford that. They need to be kept away from me at all costs. Just tell me where the Skull is, and I will leave."

Jason walked to the remains of his desk and picked up his phone. "Mom? I'm borrowing the Hummer. I'm taking a friend of mine over to Jake's. We've got to clear something up."

"What was all that noise I heard a few minutes ago?" his mother asked over the line.

"Um, er...sorry - must've had that ECW reunion show turned up too loud. Bye!" Jason said, quickly hanging up, then grabbing a jacket with a Yin-Yang symbol on the back and a built-in sheath for his sword, swapping it out for his uniform coat. He then turned to Shadow "You up for a road trip, angsty?"

"This had better be worth my time, human." Shadow growled.

"Somehow, I think it will be." He said as the two men walked out the door and into the night.

**The Beginning **

**Classic Cowboy: I really didn't have much into this opening; all I did was edit it for the boys. But when Jarkota and Digifan approached me with this idea, for which I was already contemplating a similar one, I thought why not? I've worked with Jezrianna on our SuperKim and BatRon cross, which I promise will be updated as soon as we both can get our muses going on it again, and really a fic, a crossover of this span and magnitude is beyond any one author to pull off. So, wish us luck as we try to weave a tale worth telling and enjoy the ride!**


	2. Chapter 2

_Colorado State University, a few days earlier_

Kim Possible sighed and brushed her long, red bangs from her face as she sat in the student commons at Colorado State University. Her emerald eyes were focused on the TV screen closest to her as news reports covered the chaos coming from the disaster at Stamford. "Stupid amateurs…" Kim whispered, concerning the late team known as the New Warriors, who, according to the press, was responsible for the destruction of the school and deaths of all those children.

She looked around and noticed several of the students looking at her with mixed emotions, some hateful, others fearful. The awkwardness of it all caused her to stand to her feet, throw her bag over her shoulder and start off for her car, hopefully to meet her BFBF on the way.

"So, when are you and your buddies gonna try and kill all of us, too, or maybe we're too old; gonna go for that preschool down the road?" she heard a loud, angry voice yell across from the courtyard of the campus. Her eyes narrowed when she saw a familiar head of blond hair surrounded by a crowd of students and even a few professors.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Kim yelled as she pushed through the crowd. "You ok?" Kim asked her boyfriend whose brown eyes traveled across the crowd carefully. In high school, she would have thought he was afraid, but after what happened just before graduation, she knew he was sizing up the situation.

"In your words, KP, no big; just some peeps wanting to share their opinion is all," Ron replied, focusing on the redhead.

"Is there a problem here?" another voice added, and Kim and Ron looked up to see a pair of security officers approaching the crowd, which suddenly lost interest in questioning the pair of teen heroes.

A variety of no responses filled the group as they began to scatter. "Ms. Possible, Mr. Stoppable, the Dean would like to speak with you."

Kim and Ron looked at each other in confusion before nodding and following the Security officer to the administration building of the campus.

"Kimberly, Ronald! Come in, come in!" The Dean smiled as the couple walked into the office.

"What's the sitch, Mr. McEntire?" Kim asked as the older man motioned for the two to sit down.

"I'm sure you both have heard about the tragedy of Stamford by now?" the Dean stated as he sat down before the two.

"It was horrible…" Kim whispered as Ron nodded in agreement.

"Well, we're all very much aware of all the good you've done for our community, Ms. Possible, for the world." The Dean continued. "Only thing surprising is the fact you and your partner haven't made the Avengers yet," he said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "But let's get to the point of all this. It's getting crazy out there, and I think it would be better for all of us if you two took a break from it all …"

"What do you mean?" Kim asked, stiffening slightly.

"You're top of the class, and Ronald has a … strong average. Kimberly, your parents aren't as young as they were once, and you have two younger siblings, and Ronald, you have a two year old sister, right? I think, with everything going on out there, you'd like to stay with your families. Some are… blaming those who have rocked the boat for what happened, and I'm afraid for your families. It would be better for everyone here and at your homes for you to be there."

"So you're expelling us for something that had nothing to do with us?"

"Expelling is such a harsh word. We're expecting to have you both back by Homecoming; we'll need our star running back and head cheerleader after all this!" He said smiling, "Take a break, Kimberly, Ronald. You will not lose any points at all, and none of this will count against you. Go rest and relax, and if something happens and you're needed elsewhere, you won't have school to worry about."

"Fine," Kim finally said reluctantly. "Seems we don't have a choice in the matter… Let's go, Ron." She said, standing up and dragging her boyfriend out of the office. They walked in silence all the way to the parking lot where they climbed into Kim's Sloth. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" Kim bellowed as she pounded her steering wheel.

"KP, we're getting a free pass from school; what's not to Booyah about?" Ron smiled, but the smile faltered at the glare.

"Well, I'm not the sharpest tack in the box, and I knew that you'd be getting special treatment for doing the hero thing," Ron said, laying his seat back in the car as Kim backed out of the parking spot. "This is why all those heroes wear masks. Save the world and then go home and blend in."

"Masks are for cowards," Kim snorted as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"Coward? Haven't you ever seen Spider-Man? The guy may be nuts, but he's no coward. I'd wet those tights if I did half the things he does."

Kim glanced at him thoughtfully. "I bet your butt would look cute in those tights." Kim noted.

"Really?" Ron asked, rolling slightly to the side and twisting around to look at his own backside. "May have to get a Spidey-Suit and see about that."

"Hm, I'd like that…"

Kim and Ron pulled into her own driveway some time later, and Kim stomped into the house still irritated at their 'break'.

"Kimmie, it's not so bad," Ron said as he stepped up behind and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him.

"Ron, stop it," Kim hissed when he nibbled on her ear. "I'm still mad."

"A little Ronshine is just the medicine for that," Ron whispered and gave a small smile when he felt her shiver. "Don't make me go all monkey on you…"

"And what if I wanted you to go all monkey on me?" Kim asked, leaning back against him. "Ronnie… are you thinking what I'm thinking …"

"Um…" Ron paused to think. "I dunno, what do you think I think you're thinking?"

Kim furrowed her brow. "What? Well, I'm thinking mom and dad are at work, and the tweebs will be at school for another three hours… and we're overdressed."

Ron grinned and let his head fall back. "Boo. Yah."

---

_New York City, Present_

A full-sized Hummer H3 navigated its way through the streets of New York City. Its destination, a small electronics store in Chinatown, was only a few minutes away.

In the front seat sat Jason Argo and the mysterious man known only as Shadow. Jason honestly didn't know what to make of him. _He's quite skilled in both sorcery _and _physical combat_, the security guard thought, _but if I'm right, his attitude is a far cry from what it should be. I wonder what happened to make him this way. Maybe if I can get him to talk..._

His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. Fishing it out of his pocket, he flipped it open. "Hello?"

The voice at the other end was panicked. "Yo, kid! Get over to the Pantheon Building!"

"Fu? What's going on?" At the mention of the magical canine's name, Shadow's eyes shot wide open. "Why the Pantheon Building?"

"_Pantheon_?" Shadow asked. "But that was where... But if that's today then...Oh, _SHIT!_ PULL OVER!"

"But we've got to get to..." Jason began.

"I can get us there faster! _PULL OVER!_" The dark man's eyes flashed red for a moment, and Jason thought it best not to anger him in the confined space of the Hummer. Hanging up his phone and parking in front of a department store, he hopped out, then went around to the passenger's side, where Shadow was already standing outside the vehicle.

"Okay; now what?" Jason asked.

Shadow picked the other man up, tucked him under one arm, and leapt into the air.

He didn't come back down.

Jason immediately saw why. Growing from the man's back was a large pair of black, leathery wings. Below them, he could see people pointing upwards, and there was no doubt in his mind what they were looking at.

"Stealth ain't exactly one of yer priorities these days, is it?"

"Shut up before I decide to drop you." The other man said with a snarl. "In a case like this, we cannot _afford_ stealth. Speed takes priority."

"Couldn't ya fly faster _without_ me?"

"Yes, but you _could_ prove useful in the coming battle, human, despite your obvious shortcomings."

"Thanks...I think."

A minute later, the peak of the Pantheon Building came into view... complete with energy discharges. "Damn it!" Shadow said. "We're too late to stop them!"

"Too late ta stop _who_?"

"The Huntsclan! They're finally making their move!" Shadow snarled again. "I was hoping to get here _before_ this happened, but _somebody_ hijacked my transportation spell and decided to send me _here_ instead. If I _ever_ get my hands on that blue-robed bastard, I'll jam a frog in him." He shook his head. "G_rah!_ Gotta focus! Won't do me any good to lose control before I get there." He took a deep breath. "I just hope she's alright."

Shadow landed a short time behind a large air conditioning unit, unseen by the combatants. Peering over the top of the unit, Shadow and Jason saw Jake Long, Rose Thorne, Sun Park, Lao Shi, and Haley Long more or less playing a very deadly game of Keep-Away with the Huntsclan. But rather than a ball, the objects in their hands were the legendary Crystal Skulls of the Aztecs.

"Damn it, what's _Haley_ doing here? This isn't going right at _all_."

"Well, then, how's it _supposed_ ta go, smart guy?" Jason quipped.

"Shut up." Shadow took another deep breath. "Alright, you stay on this end and try to take down as many of them as you can. I'm going to get Rose and Haley out of the line of fire."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Hey, just who put _you_ in charge?"

"_I_ did, and I'm _quickly_ growing tired of you. Either make yourself useful or find out _just_ how long it takes to fall off of a skyscraper!"

The younger man's hands went up in an 'I surrender' gesture. "Hey, hey, hey, no need ta get violent!"

"I'm _not_ violent." Shadow said. "_Yet_."

Sighing, Jason drew his sword and leapt over the air conditioner, drawing the attention of three Huntsclan warriors. _Note to self – next time, _don't _give any dark, mysterious guys a lift._ He ducked an energy blast and delivered a snap-kick to the gut of one attacker. _This has _got _to be bad news for my insurance premiums_.

Shadow, meanwhile, had circled around to the far side of the roof, where Rose was standing with a spear in one hand, a skull in the other, and shifting her gaze between dragon-form Jake and the Huntsman.

Jake was pleading with her. "Rose! Give me the skull! We can make things _right_. You can have your family back _and_ we can still be together!"

"Hand the skull over, Huntsgirl, if you want to save your family!" The Huntsman held his hand out, then quickly curled it into a fist, and there was _no_ doubt as to what that particular gesture meant. Rose didn't know what to do; her loyalties were divided, and her mind was blank.

Before anyone could do anything, however, a dark figure in a leather trenchcoat leapt over, grabbed the Skull out of Rose's hand, then flipped backwards to stand in front of one of the gargoyles arrayed around the perimeter of the roof. "The only person getting _anything_ tonight is _me._"

"Who the hell are _you_?" Huntsman asked, brandishing a spear.

"Trust me – you _don't_ want to know." Shadow said, making a pulling motion with his free hand. The spear jumped from the Huntsman's grasp and into Shadow's. The dark man pointed the weapon at his armored opponent. "Now, just back away, nice and slow, and I _might_ let you live."

"You _dare_ to threaten _me_? Do you even know who I _am_? I am the Huntsman, slayer of dragons, scourge of the magical world, and the one who..."

"...talks _way_ too much!" Jake said, slamming his tail into tall man's head. The Huntsman went down, his now-cracked skull-helmet shattering on contact with the floor of the roof. He lay there for a moment, stunned, before getting to his feet. A trail of blood led from a rather nasty gash on the top of his bald head down to drip off of his face, and his teeth were clenched as he spoke, glaring at Jake.

"You will pay for that, dragon, with every bit of life you have left in you!"

"I don't think so!" was the last thing the Huntsman heard before Shadow's boot connected with his jaw. Jake cringed when he heard the shattering of bone, then watched as his enemy stumbled backwards across the roof.

And through the open door to the stairwell. Rose stepped up to Jake's side, gripping his hand tightly as he returned to human form, as they listened to the various sounds that a man makes when tumbling down fourteen flights of stairs.

Shadow, meanwhile, had claimed the last skull from one of the Huntsclan soldiers and was about to place it in the mouth of the final gargoyle when a green energy bolt flew past him, hitting Rose square in the back. He and Jake both watched as she staggered forward, then fell, a gaping hole burned into her jumpsuit revealing scorched and blistered flesh beneath. The dark man whirled to see a Huntsclan warrior brandishing an energy spear and moved to attack before a purple torpedo slammed into his target. The soldier was hurled into a metal lamp, fell to the floor, and didn't get up.

Haley hovered there for a second to make sure he was down for the count, then flew over to Rose. She helped Jake get Rose up to the stage so that she could sit. The blond girl was still conscious, but obviously in pain. Shadow had to resist the urge to go to her. _In a few minutes, none of this will have happened, anyway._ He looked down at the two skulls in his hands. _I'll make _sure _of it._ He started to place the skull into the gargoyle once more when he heard the familiar voice of Lao Shi.

"Haley! Jake! _Look out!_" the old man said. Jake was able to dodge the energy bolt, but Haley and Rose were caught in the explosion caused by the bolt hitting the sound equipment on the stage.

Seeing the two girls hurled through the air and halfway across the roof caused something to snap inside Shadow. The blast had knocked Haley out, reverting her to human form, and when she hit the floor, she hit _hard_. Rose didn't fare much better; she was now totally unconscious, and there was blood pouring down the side of her face.

The dark man dropped the skulls, his hands clenched into fists, and he let out an angry, sorrow-filled roar of pain, as if years of suffering and torment were being unleashed all at once. All activity on the roof immediately stopped, the attention of the combatants of both sides focused on him. His eyes began glowing a bright red, and his pupils had reduced themselves to black, reptilian slits. His open mouth showed not human teeth, but large, pointed fangs.

Sun Park looked to Jason and asked, "What's going on here?"

Jason lowered his head and replied, "If I'm right, nothin' good."

Shadow looked to the sky, his entire body trembling with rage, and crossed his still-clenched hands at the wrist. He opened his mouth and, in a deep, gravelly voice, called out, "_EMPOWER_ _THE SHADOW DRAGON!!!!!_"

Lao Shi's jaw dropped. "_Ai-yah!_ A _new_ dragon?"

Sun nodded. "And a Shadow Dragon, at that. I thought they were all wiped out centuries ago."

"Wait, wait, wait," Jason said. "There's such a thing as a _Shadow_ Dragon?"

"Yes," Lao replied, "and it can only mean _one_ thing."

"What?" Jason asked.

"We're fucked." the old dragon answered.

While this was happening, Shadow's body underwent a bizarre transformation. Gone was his pale human flesh and slender-yet-muscular body, replaced by a thick torso and grayish-black scales. Gone was his human face, and in its place a long reptilian snout outlined by massive tusks. The wings from earlier had returned, but now they were much larger and tipped with sharp spikes. A massive fin emerged on his elongated neck, a thick tail grew from his back, and his arms and legs became thicker and tipped with large talons. Overall, he was nearly five times his human size, and looked ready to kill.

The newly-transformed dragon let our a roar that made everyone's blood run cold. Two Huntsclan warriors stepped forward and opened fire with their energy spears, but the bolts just bounced off of the thick, scaly hide. Shadow reached out with his massive front claws and picked the two humans up. The snapping and crunching of bone could be heard all the way across the roof as he crushed them in his grasp before dropping their limp, lifeless forms to the floor with a sickening _splat_.

Jason said, "I don't usually agree with ya, Lao, but I don't think I have much choice here." _It's worse than I thought,_ he added silently. _It's like every shred of who he was has been stripped away and replaced by this..._thing. He watched as Shadow began stomping around the area from one soldier to the next, and any who were too shocked or stupid to run quickly met their end. Most were crushed beneath the dragon's feet, some were knocked off the edge of the building by a strike from a leg or the tail, and still others found themselves slammed into air conditioners or the large lamps scattered around the roof. One unfortunate individual had his skull crushed like a Twinkie.

One Huntsclan lackey lobbed a fist-sized bomb at the dragon, but the resulting explosion did nothing but anger the already-enraged reptile. He grabbed the unlucky soldier in both claws, then pulled, separating the man's torso from his legs with an accompanying spray of blood and gore. The two halves dropped to the floor, a large pool of blood forming around them. Shadow simply stepped over the mess and proceeded to his next group of targets.

Jason, Lao, Jake, and Sun watched from their respective positions as Shadow annihilated the Huntsclan squad one by one, never ceasing in his single-minded assault. At one point, he picked up a soldier who had fallen, spraining his ankle in the process, and literally devoured him in a single bite. The crunch of bone and the blood dripping from the dragon's jaws forced Sun to turn her head and vomit, and it was plain to see that Jake was trying hard to _not_ do the same.

Shadow, meanwhile, paid no attention to any of this. He continued on his path of destruction, though there were few targets left. All he knew was that the Huntsclan _had_ to pay. His anger-filled mind was so clouded that he could barely remember _why_ he was doing this, not that he cared much. The smell of blood and the satisfaction he got from ending the lives of his enemies were all he needed to keep going. Grabbing one soldier who had tried to hide behind a large speaker, he bit the man in half, tossing the lower torso and legs aside.

The half-corpse landed near Jake's feet, and the teen dragon couldn't hold it in anymore. The contents of his stomach soon joined the ever-growing pool of blood on the roof. The stench was overpowering.

Hunting for a new target, Shadow spied the last member of the squad trying to loosen the fire escape ladder from its track, but it was rusty and didn't move easily. He picked the man up by his arms, ignoring his screams of panic and pleas for mercy, and pulled, splitting him down the middle. He then flung the two pieces in opposite directions and let out a roar of triumph.

Jason watched as the dragon simply stood there for a long moment, his hand clenched tightly around the hilt of his sword. _Man, I hope he doesn't come over here. I don't want to have to kill him, and I don't think I could even if I tried right now. _His fears were put to rest when the dragon lowered its head and reverted to human form.

Shadow said not a word as he walked over to where Rose and Haley lay. He knelt beside them, placing a hand on their heads, and said, "I'm sorry. I failed to protect you again. But don't worry – that's a mistake I won't have to live with for very long." He rose once more, went back to the stage, and picked up the skulls. Placing one in the mouth of a gargoyle, he held the other high above his head. All thirteen began glowing brightly.

"Ancient spirits of the Gargoyles of Pantheon," he said, "I call upon you to use the power of these Crystal Skulls and grant my desire!"

From each stone gargoyle arose a vaporous apparition that resembled the statues, but rather than legs there was merely a wispy trail leading from the bottom of the torso and tapering off. "You who have assembled the skulls and called us forth," a collection of voices said from seemingly nowhere and yet everywhere, "tell us thy desire and it shall be yours."

Unseen by the others on the roof, Shadow smiled. "Spirits, I thank you for answering my call. Now, I wish for you to..."

But Shadow never got to finish his sentence. As he spoke, there was the sound of something flying through the air, and then the skull in his hand became so much shrapnel. The skulls inside the statues' mouth also shattered, and the spirits vanished.

"_NO!_ I was so _close!!!_" Shadow dropped to his knees and slammed his hand down onto the floor amidst what used to be the skull.

Jason walked up, sword in hand. "Had ta do it, man. First, ya lied to me. Ya said that ya wanted ta keep those things from bein' used against ya."

"That was _part_ of the truth. I _was_ going to ensure that their power was never used again _after_ I got what _I_ wanted!"

"And that brings me ta my _second_ point – that kind o' power in _any_one's hands is bad mojo. There's no _way_ I'd ever let 'em be used, by you, or the Huntsman, or _anyone_."

Shadow stood up, his eyes blazing red again. "At least I can get _some_ satisfaction from flaying your flesh from your bones and using it as a throw rug!" He started to step forward when he heard a groan off to his left.

Turning, he saw Haley sitting up and rubbing her head. There was blood dripping from her mouth, a rather nasty bruise on her temple, and she looked dazed, but she was alive. Next to her, Rose was also starting to stir.

Forgetting about Jason, Shadow darted over to them, only to be stopped by Jake. "Back. Off." the teen said.

"Let me get to them. I have to..."

"I _said_ back off!" Jake repeated, his features growing hard. "After what you did to the Huntsclan, what makes you think I'm gonna let you anywhere _near_ my sister?"

Shadow snarled. "Haley and I share a bond closer than you know. She is my entire reason for _being_ here."

"And _I'm_ the entire reason for you _leaving_ here. I don't care _how_ big you get or _how_ many body parts you can rip off of someone; you are _NOT_ going to get your grimy hands _anywhere_ near her!"

Shadow pulled his hand back, as if he was going to punch Jake, but a hand on his wrist stopped him. Turned his head to see Jason standing behind him, the sword pointed at Shadow's neck. "Don't make me do it, man. I've never killed in my life and I _don't_ wanna start now."

"Then you are _weak!_" Shadow whirled to the left, his arm outstretched, and caught Jason in the stomach. The other man went down and Shadow turned back to Jake just in time to see a red tail smack him upside the head. He staggered a bit, dazed, before regaining his senses.

When he looked again, Haley was standing next to Jake, holding his hand tightly, and Rose had gotten up to one knee, holding her spear in both hands and aiming for Shadow's chest.

"I will not harm you this day, Jacob Lucas Long, but only because of how much it would hurt Haley to see you die. But mark my words – you have _not_ seen the last of me!" He broke into a run and jumped off the edge of the roof, only to reappear a moment later, still human but with his wings spread. He arced up, stalled out for a second, then dove in-between two buildings and disappeared.

"Jake," Haley said, "who _was_ that?"

"I don't know, Haley; I don't know."

Jason stared at where Shadow had disappeared. _Oh, you _know _who he is, Jake. You just won't like it when you realize it._


	3. Chapter 3

**Time: Five Months Ago**

**Place: New York City**

It feels like yesterday that I found out there's more to magic than Thor's hammer, Dr. Strange with his fingers, or even the guy in the top hat pulling out a rabbit. In reality, it was a month ago, and what happened yesterday was this attractive brunette asked me out on a date.

Of course, I said yes. The date went smoothly… well, as smoothly as it can get when you keep looking at your date, who's wearing a red dress that JUST ends below the waist and shows more cleavage than a bathing suit worn by Pamela Anderson… saw a movie, went to dinner, and now we're in an alleyway that's next to my place. She doesn't want to wait to get there, and frankly, neither do I. She leans back against a brick wall, lifting her left leg and putting it up against the wall, for both balance and that oh-so-seductive look you can only get from wearing red stilettos. I lean up to her to make my move and whisper in her ear…

"So, when are you and your Huntspals gonna ambush me?"

"Wha… what?"

She's too shocked to move, so I take out my previously hidden Boomerang Blade from the back of my black trench coat, toss it, and listen to the sound of it hitting something electrical AND a man gettin' shocked. I knew just where to toss it thanks to all those times I saw the Predator movies and that ripple effect from that invisible device. Sure enough, a Huntsthug appeared, cursing my aim as I catch the Blade.

"Very well played, Mr. Argo." Says a voice I know all too well. I've fought him and his group for a few years, every time my folks found a magical artifact, really, and it's only a month ago I found out they were called The Huntsclan and he's The Huntsman. For years, I always thought they were S&M freaks that loved shiny things (Hey, what else am I supposed to think with the leather mask, skulls on their head, and weapons in hand?). "How did you know?" I had a cocky smirk that told anybody that knew me that I'm gonna be an asshole about this.

"Well, ya see, I noticed she had the look that said 'I have big muscles, a skull on my head, and a giant weapon to compensate for my tiny di--' Oh, that's you, I am so sorry! She had the 'I can't do anything else in life because I don't know what comes after one, so I kill people that've done nothing to me since I'm no smarter than a rich heiress' look I've seen from other Huntsluts." I see from that look in all those masks they're good and mad. "Fellas, ladies, just because I take you away from your nightly 'I deserve this' meetings don't mean ya gotta take it out on me." That did it, judging by the fact that it looks like he got even madder from that comment than the previous...

"HUNTSCLAN, ATTACK!"

Oop, smart-ass-time over, gotta work.

CLANG

Then again, I'm also a smart-ass while I work, but I tend to concentrate more on crackin' heads than runnin' my mouth.

CLANG

Or in my case, crackin' heads AND usin' the Blade to block the staffs.

"Oh c'mon! I'm a mere mortal with a magical weapon, and ya can't even land one punch!?"

Although today… it helps that I got these morons fightin' me out of anger. I'm dodging these assholes left and right and so far…

WHAM

"OOF!"

…so crappy. Ok, they knocked me down and are ready to fire those damn glowing staffs; well, if I gotta go…

"WAIT! I need to pay my $250 to the head guy in the leather mask for this!"

…go a smart ass.

WHAM

POW

…or not.

"Yo, J, everythin' ok here, man?" The red dragon who I found out a month ago was a guy I treated like a kid brother, Jake Long, said after knocking down some of the Huntsclan, givin' me enough time ta get up and get my bearings back.

"Yeah, had 'em on the ropes, but I can still use the help."

"No problem." Jake said as we were about to resume the fight, when we saw a web line snag a Huntsclan member and toss him into the wall.

"Hey, is this a private party or can anybody join this thing?" I look up and see Spider-Man, only he's not in his usual costume. In fact, his costume looks a lot like Iron Man's. I'll inquire later. "Who'd you annoy this time, Jason?"

"Why is it that I'M the guy at fault when there's a dozen S&M freaks on my back?"

"Uh…" Spidey said as Jake just looked up from my comment.

"That came out wrong, didn't it?"

"Yeah."

"How about we kick ass now and contemplate what I should've said later?"

"Sounds good to me." Jake said quickly as we resumed the fight.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I shout when I'm shot awake thanks to that dream again.

**Time: 12 hours after Homecoming.**

**Place: Jason's Apartment, New York City.**

For the last six months… ever since I had my hand on the Boomerang Blade… every time I've dreamed, it's the same. New York City is hell on Earth, and I'm with these shadows fighting other shadows and I have no idea who they are.

I wash my face with warm water, hoping to get the cold sweat off of my face. I take a look in the mirror and see another thing that's been in my head for six months, namely what looks like a digital clock, but its stuck at what appears to be three months. My red hair, usually spiked to look like its on fire, is a mess. But I got plenty of time to get ready, which is the only bright side to the dreams. Enough time to get ready for my job: workin' at the Museum of Natural History, makin' sure the crooks out there don't steal what my family dug up.

**Time: Now.  
Place: New York City of National History.**

Another slow day, but that's understood able this time. We just reopened apart of this place because the renovations in some spots got done early. It'll be some time before the rest of the museum opens up again, but that's actually the furthest thing from my mind right now.

Namely, it's this Goth reject that calls himself "Shadow". I knew who he was the minute I looked into his eyes, but how did he get this way? Why is he here, in my time? I know he's from the future; he has to be because the guy he once was is still here, unaltered. And what was he gonna do to those sk--

"GAH! OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!"

OW! Holy crap, the visions STILL hurt. After six months, I NEVER get used to 'em. And this one was a doozy on top of another doozy. I just saw one of the shadows' true forms and just realized how bad a pun that was. I pick up the phone and call the one place my family is right now, the basement.

"Guys, I'm borrowing the Hummer and punching out early."

_He was standing on a familiar street, hidden by a car that had been flipped onto its side. The road_

_was filled with holes from explosions. The sector of town was basically a no-man's land. Had been_

_for months, ever since the fighting began. Off to his left, an armored figure he knew all too well was_

_giving orders to his troops, while a blue-clad man with a shield crouched behind a row of dumptsters_

_and cars lined up across the width of the street in a makeshift barricade. Several children cowered_

_in fear next to his own position, their tears flowing freely. _She_ was sitting beside them, telling them_

_to be silent and they would all get away together. Her kind heart and words of hope and_

_encouragement were what kept him going through it all. With her bright smile even under the worst_

_conditions, she was, pound for pound, a thousand times stronger than he was. He only fought to_

_protect himself and her; for all he knew, she was all he had left, and he was _not_ going to lose her as_

_he had lost everyone else._

_Then the attack came. The armored one's men cleared the way as another man, clad in black with_

_a skull on his chest, appeared. He carried with him a weapon that should have only been seen in_

_the hands of a military soldier on a battleground facing a foreign enemy, not being used in one's_

_own country against his fellow countrymen. The portable artillery cannon was raised and fired, its_

_explosive warhead arcing up and over the barricade, slamming into a concentration of their_

_opponents. Flames sprouted immediately as clothing, scraps of garbage, and people caught fire._

_Men were crying out in pain, women and children screaming in fear, formerly-focused soldiers were_

_scattering, and it was into this confusion that one of their small group of children ran, screaming for_

_someone - _any_one - to take him out of there._

_Moving faster than he could react, she darted out after him, her small form belying her natural_

_speed. The child ran across the street, into a now-abandoned antique shop, and she soon followed_

_him, trying to calm him down and get him back to safety._

_Before her older companion could even register what had happened, the second missile hit the_

_store._

_Forgetting about the other children, forgetting about the two factions, forgetting that he was a target_

_for both, he ran over to the flaming rubble that had once been the shop. Tears in his eyes, he_

_began pulling away bits of debris, large and small, with the single-minded determination of one who_

_sees his last bit of hope starting to vanish before his eyes._

_When he found her, he knew she was lost. Blood was pouring from her mouth, and the labored_

_breathing told him that she had a punctured lung. Her hair, formerly done up into an intricate pair of_

_pigtails he had only that morning taken the time to style for her, was loose, disheveled, and singed._

_Her bright pink shirt had mostly been burned away, revealing charred flesh beneath, and her well-_

_worn blue jeans hadn't fared much better. He tried to speak to her, to tell her that he was sorry, but_

_she silenced him. "It wasn't your fault," she said. "We both knew what had to be done, and I don't_

_regret any of it. Just do me one favor..." Her speech was interrupted by a violent coughing fit, which_

_spilled even more blood from her mouth. "Don't stop fighting. Do whatever you have to...but don't_

_stop. You're the last one left...you have to carry on. Go on without me... br... th..." Before she_

_could finish, her eyes closed and her body went limp._

Shadow awoke in an alley, screaming her name. Not the first time it had happened, nor would it be

the last. He was tormented by her death every day and night. She was why he still fought, and

would continue to fight, until the last breath left his body. Standing, he realized he had only been

asleep a few minutes and was disgusted, knowing he would not be sleeping any time soon and was

still exhausted from his earlier exertions. He reached beneath his shirt and pulled out a small

locket. Inside were pictures of himself and her, from a time long gone by, when neither had had

anything to worry about."I'll be with you again someday; that much is certain. But I'm going to bring

every single last one of those bastards that murdered you with me as I possibly can, I _promise_." He

tucked the locket back into his shirt, left the alley, and began wandering the streets.

* * *

**Time: Three days before Jake's Homecoming.**

**Place: Middleton**

"Hey, Ron?" Kim said as they awkwardly made their way through Bueno Nacho's lunch line. "Do you remember when you went Zorpox last year?"

"Yeah?" Ron said as he glanced back at his girlfriend before going back to studying the above menu.

"Do you remember the glares some of your family was giving you and me when we got back to your cousin's wedding?" Kim asked, still glancing around the crowded fast food restaurant.

"Yeah, what about it, KP?" Ron asked, blinking in confusion.

"I'm so getting déjà vu right now…" Kim gave a tight smile.

Ron jumped slightly when the Kimmunicator on Kim's wrist beeped.

"Saved by the Kimmunicator," Ron said with a sigh of relief as Kim lifted her wrist.

"What's the sitch, Wade?" Kim asked as the younger boy appeared on the screen.

"Just got a hit on the site, Kim," Wade responded on the small LCD screen. "Monkey Fist is hitting the Upperton Zoo. Apparently he's on a monkey ninja recruitment run."

"No big," Kim shrugged, "Can you fix us up with a ride?"

"Um… about that…" Wade gulped and glanced around his room. "The favors have been pulled …"

"What?" Kim asked blinking in surprise and confusion.

"All the favors, Kim, every last one of them…" Wade gave a small tight smile.

"All of them? Why?" Kim was flabbergasted, and Ron was no better at her side.

"The tragedy, Kim," Wade explained. "Heroes have some major bad press right now. Nobody wants to associate with anyone who's 'fighting the good fight'."

"Then I guess Ron and I will have to just drive up then," Kim said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Let's go, Ron," she said, turning toward the Sloth.

"KP, I've got a mondo bad feeling about this one…" Ron said as he climbed into the passenger seat of Kim's car.

"You always have a bad feeling with Monkey Fist, Ron," Kim gave him a loving smile before moving in to kiss his cheek. "No big, we go save the day then have a nice dinner with my folks. Sound like a plan?"

Ron nodded and gave a thumbs-up as Kim sped out of the parking lot.

---

"Soon, my simian brothers," Monkey Fist chuckled as he stood before a monkey enclosure, "You will be free and your training under me will begin. You will all make fine monkey ninjas!" he said, breaking out into a monkey-like laugh.

"I have a better idea," Kim said as she made her presence known at the top of fence. "We put you behind bars like your so-called simian brothers."

"Kim Possible," Monkey Fist growled as he turned to the red head. "And where you go…" he didn't finish his thought as he ducked the flying kick.

"Do we really wanna know how you went from a very ugly statue to being back here?" Ron asked as he stopped just before his girlfriend.

"You'd rather not know, and I'd rather not remember, thank you very much," Monkey Fist answered with a shiver. "Now just get out of the way and let me deal with the real threat, distraction."

"Oh, see our whole team dynamic has changed a lot since you've been away, Monty," Kim said with a knowing smile.

"What do you mean?" Monkey Fist cocked an eyebrow.

"Ronnie, baby, be a dear and go Super Saiyan on his butt," Kim said, glancing at her gloved nails.

Monkey Fist's eyes widened as Ron took a low fighting stance before a hazy blue glow encircled him, and the unearthly sounds of monkey screams filled the statue-turned-simian-man's ears. "This is going to hurt …" was the only vocal thought Montgomery Fiske could think as Ron's now glowing blue eyes opened and focused on him.

"Oh, yeah." Kim drawled as she crossed her arms.

---

The police officers watched as Team Possible exited the zoo with Monkey Fist thrown over Ron's shoulder.

"Here ya go, Officers," Ron said as he dropped the KO'ed Monkey Fist on the hood of a squad car. "Got him all wrapped up for you."

"Yeah, we know, we saw the video from the zoo security," the officer said as he moved to untie the unconscious ninja.

"What are you doing?" Kim asked in confusion as another officer approached them.

"Kimberly Anne Possible, Ronald Dean Stoppable, you are under arrest, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used…"

"What? We're the good guys, dude!" Ron gasped as they placed them in cuffs.

"The Right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law," the officer continued. "You have the right to an attorney…"

"Oh, boy…" Kim muttered as the two teens looked at each other at a loss of what to do.

**Time: Now. Place: New York City.**

Jason Argo is not a patient man. He has parked his Hummer right outside of the Long house, knowing that Jake and Haley are not home, but he's not waiting for them.

"Where is he… damn it, c'mon… where are…" He didn't have to wait to long as the sound of something heavy landing on top of his Hummer was just made. He looked up and saw an angry, dark-looking dragon ready to rip the roof off, so he quickly opens the sun roof and pokes his head out. "OK! OK! No need to rip th--AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jason never got to finished as the angry-looking dragon picked up the black trenchcoat-wearing security guard by the collar of his matching shirt. "I see you're still upset."

"Upsssssset doesssssss not begin to cover it, human!" The dragon said, sounding more lizard than man. Jason was hoping to survive the night, but even he started to doubt it.

"What if I told ya it wasn't personal but my own belief that even heroes with that kind of power bein' a bad thing the reason why I did it?" He said with a very nervous smile. But Shadow wasn't hearing any of it.

"You deprived me of my one chansssssssse to ssssset right the wrongssssssss that had been done to me - now, give me one good reassssssson that I ssshhhhould let you continue your pathetic life?" For two minutes, Jason says nothing, but then…

"Let me think..." This did not make Shadow happy one bit.

"WRONG ANSSSSWER!" The Dragon shouted as he picks Jason up and slams him repeatedly on the hood of the Hummer. Several dents later, Jason rolls off after the last slam and hits the ground hard. However, he somehow is still alive AND nothing broken.

"Ooooooooooh... I'm gonna thank that old witch for this trench coat. Look, Angsty, if you'll just let me explain why I tried ta find ya..."

Shadow roars, picks Jason up, puts him in his mouth...then spits him into a brick wall at high speed.

"Ugh... monster loogie!" Jason said as he tried to get all the dragon spit off of him. Shadow lets loose a burst of green mist that eats away the brick wall next to Jason. "DUDE! GET A MINT!" Jason then sees Shadow picking up his Hummer and aiming it right for him. "No… nononono! NOT THE CAR! NOT THE--" Shadow throws the Hummer at Jason, who gets out of the way just in time.

"HEY! I just modified that!" Jason shouted at the still angry Shadow as a blast of fire melts the Hummer to so much slag and scorches the soles of Jason's boots

"YEOW! Ok, ok, I'm an idiot! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Jason said trying to get him to stop, but to no avail as Shadow grabs Jason again and shakes him in multiple directions very quickly.

"This... WHOA! concerns... YAAAAAAAAA! Jake and Haley!" Jason managed to mutter. "Can YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA drop me before I barf!?"

Shadow throws Jason against a wall across the street, leaving an impression. Again, somehow, he winds up with only severe bruises, aches, and feeling like he's about to die, but no broken bones. "Ooog... not what I meant but... oooog..." But just as Jason regains his bearings, Shadow flies off before Jason can say anything.

"WAIT!" Jason shouted, but Shadow just kept flying until he was out of ear shot. "That's ok... I know where ya gonna be... just gonna take me a while ta get there..." Jason said as he started walking, he also got out his cell phone. "Uh dad...? We need a new car."

Moments later, Jason is climbing up to the top of Lao's roof, and he's exhausted.

Huff... huff...

"Two floors plus ten blocks..." Huff Huff "DO NOT mix." Jason opened the door, thinking he had enough time to rest. But as he's grabbed from behind by his collar.. "OH, CRAP, NOT AGAIN!"

WHAM

…he was wrong as he is tossed to the ground. This time, though, Shadow looks completely human. "Are ya gonna beat me up all night!?" Jason said, wondering when this was gonna stop.

"I'm finding it quite...ssssatisfying." Shadow said, still sounding the same despite the new appearance.

"Oh, man."

WHAM

Jason slides across the roof and Shadow picks him up, with the intent to toss, only to find Jason has a vice grip on his arm.

"NO WAY! THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY I'M GETTIN' OFF THIS ROOF AND IT AIN'T THE COYOTE/ROAD RUNNER WAY!"

"Fine." Shadow says as he shakes his arm hard enough to slam Jason through the ceiling, causing him to fall right into Lao's currently empty shop. All Jason had, however, was great pain.

"Oh... I'm REALLY gonna thank that witch for my trench coAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Shadow lifts Jason by the neck, ready to finish him off. Jason tries for one last plea. "THIS CONCERNS JAKE AND HALEY!"

At that moment, Jason has a vision... and sees two more faces, Jake and Haley.

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

However... Jason, unbeknownst to him, is feeding the same vision to Shadow, who proceeded to slam Jason to the ground.

"You had better have an explanation for what I just saw, human." Shadow said in a cold and demanding tone.

"What you saw?" Jason said out of curiosity. "What... wait... that pain... that look in your eyes... it looks like mine after my first dre-- quick, did you suddenly see an image of Haley and Jake emerging out of the shadows?"

"Yes, that is what I saw. Now, why did I see it?"

Before Jason could answer, he popped two pills of Aspirin. "I have no clue. I'm usually the mook that gets the visions and I've only been gettin' 'em for the last six months. Hurts like hell when I do."

"How do you get these...'visions'? Shadow asks. Jason then pulls a chair next to Shadow, so he can be comfortable talking.

"Happens at random. In fact, I just found out you're one of those I gotta recruit to make sure my nightmare stays that.

"No-one 'recruits' me for anything, human!" Shadow said defiantly.

"Then it pleases me to be the first." Jason said lightening the mood. "Look, I'm not askin' ya ta follow what I see or I'm gonna draft ya. But for the last six months, I've been seein' New York becomin' the Seventh Circle of Hell, and I'm convinced the shadows are who I need ta stop it. Just hear what I have ta say, or my world will end up even worse."

"I have seen Hell on Earth, mortal. Nothing you could see in your visions can possibly compare to what I have lived for the last fifteen years of my life!" Shadow said with some anger.

"New York city, in eternal fire, the Statue of Liberty decimated, humans dead in a position where they died while killing each other, and it all started when what looked like the symbols of Iron Man, Captain America, Kim Possible, and Ron Stoppable collided." Jason said, describing the dream.

"As I said...no worse than what I have seen." Jason had enough of this and looked at Shadow in the eye.

"I know who you are." Jason said, causing Shadow's eyes to flash bright red.

"You know nothing, human!" Shadow said with anger.

"I know why you protected Haley and Rose at the prom. Why you went nuts when they got hurt. Why do you think I knew to wait at the Longs or how you'd be at the shop?"

"Guesswork; nothing more." Shadow said, still defiant. Jason whispers something that only "Shadow's" friends would know.

"Convinced?"

"No."

"Ok, then, Angsty, how about the fact that I saw a particular look when you looked at Haley."

"Anyone would be concerned. She is but a child - to see her life cut short at so young an age..." Shadow catches himself and pauses for a moment, obviously trying to hide something "...I do not see how you consider that proof of anything."

"That look." Jason said with a tone of 'Got ya' in his voice. "It's a look one doesn't give to a girlfriend, a best friend, or even a mom."

That caused Shadow to become a little nervous, but he still tried to hide it, so he could throw the inquiring Jason off. "Whatever you're getting at, make your point and make it quickly! I do not have time for this!"

"My point is that it was the look of concern for a sister from a brother. And Haley only has one brother." Shadow still wouldn't say anything, but he started to clench both his jaw and fist. "Jake Long. You."

"One problem; if I was Jake Long, I'd be fourteen, not twenty-nine." Shadow said thinking he had dodged a bullet. "And did you forget that he and I were both on that roof the other day. One cannot be in two places at the same time. Your reasoning is glaringly flawed, human."

"You don't watch Trek that much, do you?" Jason said with a curious look combined with a smirk.

"It was a particular favorite of mine for a long time."

"Then, bein' a nerd and all, ya should've figured I would've known about alternate dimensions. Hell, I've been to some of 'em thanks to the artifacts my family's found."

"So - you theorize that I am Jake Long, but from another dimension?"

"Yep. The dead giveaway is yer age."

"You are wrong, human." Neither men say anything as the tension in the air got uncomfortably thick. Shadow then turned his head and looked like he was about to leave. "Another time." But just before he could get out the door, Jason spoke up.

"True or false: you don't use Cupid's arrow on somebody that already loves you after you break up." Jason said with his arms crossed confidently. Shadow then turned around and snorted at the mere question because of how idiotic that remotely sounded.

"What idiot would be stupid enough to mess with those arrows, anyway? I've never heard of such a ridiculous thing in my life!" Shadow said with some anger at the mere thought of somebody being that stupid. Jason, saying nothing, just smirks and points to the currently human dragon before him. "I did nothing of the sort." Shadow said with a scoff. Jason then looked like the cat that ate the canary.

"There's my proof right there, Scanner Darkly!" Jason said as if he just caught the biggest fish in the late. "Jake got the arrows and thought it'd make Rose fall in love with him again." Shadow just remained defiant and crossed his arms.

"The closest I ever got to those arrows was when I was asked to safeguard them." The dragon said in a mater-of-fact tone of voice. "I locked them in a hidden vault, then put the bow in a separate safe, and stood guard over them until Cupid came to retrieve them. I had to miss out on a cruise to do it, but it was my duty and nothing else took priority over that." Shadow said, thinking he won the argument.

"Jake, Trix, and Spud figured they'd be the best way to get their targets to fall for 'em. End result... well... it took a week to pry the captain of the ship off Lady Liberty's torch... then they had to clean it." Jason said with a bit of a laugh.

"Okay - that never happened." Shadow said bewildered. Just where did this guy get his information?

"And Rose tried to kill him."

"Neither did that. I don't know where you get your information, but I lived those experiences and none of that ever took place." Jason just smiled; he knew he backed this man into a corner.

"I keep tellin' ya, yer in an alternate dimension. Yer an idiot here that occasionally gets it right." Jason said, hoping Jake or his family wasn't anywhere near Lao's. Still, he needed one more confirmation. "True or false, Grand Master Flex started the hip hop movement."

"Grand Master Who?" And with those words, Jason got his confirmation.

"The Jake here not only screwed up the dance with the arrows but would've told me the answer AND verbally slammed me for asking the second question." Even though Jason came to the conclusion who Shadow really is, he sees that the man he's talking to still looked unconvinced. "Hold on a sec. Let me try to find somethin'..." Jason said recalling Fu stored his laptop somewhere in the back. A minute later, he pulls out Fu's laptop computer from the back room. "Here we go. Fu recorded some of Jake's missions and saved 'em on his hard drive. Take a look."

Jason shows Shadow some of Jake's missions, including the ones where Jake goofs up the first time, and security footage from the cupid's arrow incident. Shadow however remained unconvinced despite the evidence before him.

"Interesting use of editing equipment; but that's all it is." Shadow said unimpressed. "This never happened. It couldn't have happened. I don't remember it, and nobody is that stupid!" He was getting fed up and was again about to leave until Jason found something marked "Jake's moments of intelligence." Shadow watched and was slowly starting to get more and more convinced… but there was still doubt in his eyes.

"If you don't believe me, we can ask Spud and Trix, although Spud would probably sound like he just had some special brownies..." Jason remarked, remembering a few times the closeted genius had a few 'ideas' about history. "If you still don't believe me, I got the rap album he tried to make."

"Rap...album...?" Shadow said with some caution in his voice.

A minute after playing the album…

"You hear why we begged him not to go on BET or American Idol?" Jason said while covering his ears. Shadow was doing his best to block the music out, but he was failing until finally…

"Enough! Alright; you've proven your point."

"See?" Jason said with some victory in his voice. "Ya ain't on yer Earth anymore dude." Shadow then had a look of anger and disappointment.

"My mission has failed before it started. I sought to save my world, but instead I have been cast out from it. I have no more business here." He turns to leave but once again, Jason stops him.

"Sure, have Jake suffer the same fate as you." This caused Shadow to stop in his tracks to answer Jason's statement.

"This world has already proven to be drastically different from mine. It's future will not be so bleak." Shadow said as if he were stating a fact. This served as to only make Jason angry.

"It has NO future!" The holder of the Boomerang Blade said in anger to the man from the other reality. "You leave now, and Haley and Rose WILL die." This caused Jason to get Shadow's attention.

"But if I stay," Shadow said with some assertion, "they could suffer the same fate."

"But from what I've seen, if we don't do anything, they WILL suffer." Jason said with a pleading tone. "Everytime I had the dream, I kept lookin' around and I saw nothing but the dead, including Jake, Haley, and Rose." Shadow still looked unsure.

"Perhaps, then, it is you that causes their deaths. Did you ever think of that?" Jason just looked at him with a dull expression at Shadow's question.

"Yer just a regular Mr. Sunshine, ain't ya?"

"For one such as myself, light no longer exists. I am but a shadow of who I once was; he died many years ago, and I was left to carry out his vengeance." Shadow said with some authority, yet Jason could find a hint of sadness.

"Ok, fine, let Rusty and Flag Boy's fight end New York and yer family." Jason simply said.

"That is happening here, as well?" This got Shadow's attention.

"The Registration Act is bein' talked about, and there's nothin' anybody can do about it. It's a few days away from bein' passed, and we don't have much time to act on it if at all." Jason said, knowing he had the dragon's full attention. "In my nightmare, it's always the same: symbols representing Cap, Tony, Kim, and Ron collide, the end result is NYC: Hell on Earth, I mean a literal, waist-deep river of blood, and I'm fightin' with a bunch of shadows to stop another bunch of shadows."

"And you believe that I have a part in this?"

"You, Jake, and Haley. You said you came here originally to protect Haley, and here's yer chance to do it." When Jason finished that sentence, he saw the look from Shadow's face that said he got him.

"...I'm listening."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

NOTE FROM DIGI: Jason's past will be explained, including a short prequel dealing with his first six months with the Blade, that's coming soon, but ONLY if we get enough readers for this fic.


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